


Can't Sleep

by badwithusernames



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-28
Updated: 2014-12-28
Packaged: 2018-03-04 00:47:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2903174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badwithusernames/pseuds/badwithusernames
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While visiting Korra's parents during their vacation, Korra comforts Asami in the middle of the night.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Can't Sleep

Korra jerked herself awake and instinctively felt the space beside her.  It was empty.  “Asami?”  She sat up in her bed, alerting Naga on the floor by the window.  If something had happened, her polar bear dog would have been the first one to alert her to danger.  Naga would never have allowed anything bad to happen to Asami.  “Naga, where’s Asami?” 

A swish of the dog’s white tail indicated the door.  There was a light in the hallway, bleeding through the frame.  Korra slid out of bed to give Naga a thankful pat before shuffling outside.  She and Asami had used the Spirit Portals to visit the South Pole before returning to Republic City, trying to prolong their vacation together as long as possible.  Senna and Tonraq had been surprised to see them, and even more surprised to hear the news that the two young women were now a couple, but the surprise quickly turned to joy.  Korra’s parents welcomed Asami’s new relationship with their daughter with open arms and open hearts. 

The Avatar could hear mumbling at the end of the hall.  She smiled to herself as she grew nearer, recognizing the voice of a tired engineer.  Asami had set herself up in a guest room, a thick bathrobe tied over her nightgown, leaning over a desk covered in open books, sketches and crumpled paper. 

“Whatcha doing?” 

She jumped in her chair, banging her knees on the desk.  “Korra!  Are you alright?  Sorry, you – you just scared me a bit.”

“Am _I_ alright?  I woke up and you were gone, I was worried.”  Korra stepped into the room and quietly closed the door behind her.  “Couldn’t sleep?  Were you too cold?  I could—”

“I’m fine.”  Asami certainly did not _sound_ fine.  There was an edge to her voice that Korra had not heard since she first returned to Republic City.  That tone told her everything she needed to know.  Asami was thinking about her father. 

Korra expected nothing less.  Hiroshi had been on her mind lately, too.  She blamed herself, in part, for his death.  If she had only been able to keep Kuvira’s mech immobile for a few more seconds, he might have been able to escape.  There was a split-second where she had thought she had lost Asami as well… her heart burned just imagining never seeing her again. 

The Avatar stepped closer, craning her head to see the book Asami had left open on the desk corner.  “You’re reading… Katara’s notes on _bloodbending_?  Where’d you even find this?!”  Asami immediately closed the book with a fierce _snap_. 

“Downstairs.”  The sketches that littered the desk were of the human anatomy, the circulatory system, and various machine designs that Korra could not decipher. 

“Asami… what’s going on?” 

“The poison you were given was metallic,” Asami began with a heavy sigh.  “But what if it hadn’t been?  What if Su hadn’t been able to save you?  If I could design something that could _filter_ poison from someone’s blood…” she trailed off, frantically scribbling a few more notes that had just popped into her head.  “I’m not a healer, I don’t know a lot about medicine, but I could learn.  I can learn almost anything.”

“I know you can,” said Korra, placing a firm hand on Asami’s shoulder.  “You’re the smartest person I’ve ever met.  But that big brain of yours needs sleep, too.” 

“I don’t want to go to sleep.  If I go to sleep I’ll dream about dad… about Kuvira, about that explosion.  I’ll be alone.”  Asami’s voice broke as she mumbled to herself.  “I’ll be alone.  Everyone leaves.  Mom, dad, Mako—”

“Me?”

Asami’s shoulders stiffened under Korra’s fingers.  “You already apologized for that….  You didn’t even have to, I know that wasn’t about me and I’m not….”  She could not say that she was not upset.  There were times when she understood, and other times… when it absolutely tore her up inside.  

“But it’s alright to still be angry,” said Korra, turning Asami to face her.  “I know you’re too frustratingly generous to admit it, but it’s alright.  I would be angry too.  I _was_ angry with myself for hurting you….  We haven’t talked about it since the wedding.  All we’ve done is act like the world back in Republic City stopped for us.  When we walked out of that portal, everything became real again….  I understand that.”

“That’s why I have to protect you,” Asami insisted.  “I have to do everything I can.” 

The Avatar shook her head, kneeling down in front of Asami’s chair.  “I appreciate it – everything you have done for me.  You took care of me.  You stood by me, even when you barely knew me.  Even when _your_ entire life was falling apart, you were willing to put that aside to save mine.  I can never thank you enough.  But now it’s my turn, okay?  Remember when you were in front of me like this once?  When you told me that you would be there for me through anything?  I’m making you that same promise: I swear to you, Asami Sato, that I will make sure you are never hurt like that again.”

Tears had formed in Asami’s eyes, just moments from falling.  Korra wondered if this was how the young woman had felt, three years ago.  Had her heart broken like this, too?  Had she wished upon every star in the sky that she could make her best friend whole again?  Of course she had, Korra thought, because that was the kind of person she was.  She was beautiful and compassionate and forgiving, no matter how many times the world tried to bend or break her.  Even when, like tonight, she was barely holding herself together. 

“Thank you,” Asami whispered.

“Always.”  Korra stood up and kissed the woman’s forehead.  “Now will you please come back to bed?  If not for yourself than for me?  I’ll sleep a bit better if I know you’re relaxed.” 

“Okay.”  Asami left her notes and her books scattered on the desk and took Korra’s hand.  “I think some of your stubbornness has rubbed off on me.”

“You were plenty stubborn before we even met.”  The Avatar led her back down the hallway and into Korra’s bedroom, past a now sleeping Naga.  Laying down beside Korra, like she had for several nights before, Asami knew she was safe.  They were both safe.  She closed her eyes, Korra’s words echoing in her mind.  She was not alone anymore.  She would never be alone again.  


End file.
